THE CALM
I sat on my sword, lollygagging my way to my lair with one of those books opened in my hand and titled on the first page, Symbolics. At first glance, I noticed this book was not professionally written. It was blotched with ink and scratches, notes were scribbled off into the edges of each page, and poorly drawn diagrams tainted a few pages. I instinctively assumed this was the work of Abimelech. But rather than rushing to question him, I decided to study what was written in these books.
Within my lair, I placed the chest down in my room and strode out into the Chamber with the three books floating at my side. I conjured a poor desk and stump out of Stone and Earth, sat down, and began digesting everything these books had.
I quickly read through Symbolics and understood this was indeed the work of Abimelech. He had given up seeking Solever and decided to teach himself Solusion. The book that sat before his corpse was a study book titled The Grand Applications of Rituals by several authors. I was utterly fascinated by the knowledge I obtained and the flexibility rituals had. They could be used in enchantments, summoning, conjuring, vows, traps, hexes, and charms. And the study book briefly went over each one!
Abimelech figured that Solusion, like many necromantic skills, required a ritual. Referencing the two books, it seems Abimelech had tried a few symbols and left notes beside each one:
Tetagram-cross: Wholly unstable. Tried pedestals (at points) - increased stability. Added blood (along cross) - didn't change anything I think. Tried pedestals (at gaps) - can't see a difference. Added blood as a circle - increased stability, but blood dries up too quickly.
Tetagram-diamond: Chaotically unstable. Do not ever try this again.
Pentagram-cross: Stable, but catalysts explode into blood with pedestals. Pedestal on points - best stability. Black lightning strikes pedestals constantly. Added obsidian puries to pedestals - black lightning connects with puries but causes life-threatening explosions.
Afterward, he tried several random symmetric drawings, and each of them failed or had other issues. In the end, Abimelech stuck with pentagrams and then moved on to perfect his choice of catalysts. I slid both the study book and Symbolics off to the side and set Abimelech's second book in front of me. Hmph—the book was thin. I flipped open the cover and caught the title, Catalysts. I continued and flipped through the pages and noticed only a dozen pages were filled with notes.
After a quick glance, I absorbed the text into my perfect memory. I stared solemnly at the last page and shared Abimelech's pain before I slowly closed the book. I rested my chin on my hand and closed my eyes. Abimelech and his fellow Clerics had gone through dozens of animals and used them as catalysts for the ritual. The offerings they used were other animals' souls, and yet, each ritual failed. Abimelech, frustrated and stressed, used a fellow Cleric.
The Cleric was Jericho Lanetrotter. They all despised Jericho as he attempted to hold them back. He constantly tried to bring the group back into chasing after Solever. But they had enough of his doubting and bound him.
ABIMELECH
Upon his death. Upon his final scream of reason. Upon his blood painting me and my young Clerics, I awakened. What have I done? I came to find life, and I brought death. May I die alone in shame. May my penance be heavy and my name be forever forgotten.
Possibly because Abimelech soul resided within me, I could hear his voice in those last words he wrote. I stood and turned my makeshift desk of Earth back into soil and gravel. If Abimelech can get this far with just one study book, I began to ponder as I examined the Chamber, I should be able to figure it out. I squatted and placed my left palm on the ground. With a jolt of mana, I smoothen the surface of the Chamber floor.
I then stood and materialized my staff to send a gust of wind over the floor, pushing loose dirt, glass, bones and other debris into the southern crevices.
PAIN
This should be more than enough space.
I mumbled as I centered myself within the Chamber. I Stashed my staff and commanded my sword to fly straight out of its scabbard. I took a breath, eying my sword hovering near the other side of the Chamber. There was something I have that Abimelech did not have for an offering. He had tried puries, flesh, organs, souls of other animals, and even the soul of a fellow Cleric. The one thing he never tried was something from himself.
PAIN
Time to get started,
I stated with conviction as my sword came flying back, slicing clean through my right wrist. A stream of blood came pouring out, and I immediately began to paint.
For the next five days, I practiced constantly. My own blood was spilled every day to repaint the pentagram—a star pentagram worked best. I used Earth and Stone to form blocks of pedestals and saw that leaving them at the points of the pentagram increased stability.
I hunted animals and brought back their corpse to be used as catalysts. I offered souls, my mana, and my flesh as an offering to bring the hapless corpses back to life, but each attempt resulted in failure. Black bolts of lighting would spiral out, ripping into the ground and shattering through my blocks of pedestals. Sometimes, I was the target of their wrath, and the black lightning would torture me with immense mana burn.
I started to take off my clothes before attempting each one in order to protect my (Mana Affinity Robes) Dark Robes, Petty Mana Regeneration, and (Class Aptitude) Robes, Lesser Spellwriting.
Yet, despite my constant failures, I was making progress. Unlike Abimelech and his forgetful mind, Recall Memory allowed me to sense the faintest of changes in each of my attempts. I could feel the slightest change when it came to using my own summoned undead instead of animal corpses.
Another day of practicing came and went. I had yet to sleep since I began and only took breaks to eat and piss. I sat in front of the pentagram, my eyes scanning the pedestals—each one had a floating soul hovering above it. In the center, an undead circus stood, waiting for me to begin the process.
I stood and stepped to the edge of the pentagram. I lifted my left hand before my chest, recalling how Symbology also relied on hand signs. As I crossed my middle finger over my forefinger, something felt wrong.
As I crossed my fourth finger over my pinky, something small and insignificant felt right. I then touched my pinky to my thumb and, for a mere second, could feel the mana that lingered in the air around me.
I closed my eyes and searched for that feeling again. Pure forms of Symbology did not use my mana, it used the mana within the air around me and pulled energy from a different realm. There it is! I felt the pure mana radiating softly from the ground, the air, the souls, and even the sapphire puries within the Oval Room.
I grabbed onto the sensation and opened my eyes. I focused my glare down at my hand, internally screaming, entwine, mix, come forth— anything to bring the mana inward toward the pentagram. And as I was attempting to do so, that sensation came again—something felt wrong. Maybe this was not a good idea, I thought, but it was too late.
Seeping in from the Oval Room, the Library, and possibly the Arachnid's Lair, mana energy began to pour into my summoned circus, like streams of colorful threads hanging in the air. The undead circus began to swell. Black lighting began to spark above it before webbing out and grabbing hold of the souls floating above the pedestals.
Ear-piercing screams of lagardientes reached my ears as their souls were ripped into shreds— another failure, I thought, but the ritual refused to cease. The black lightning seemed hungry for more, ripping into the soil and ceiling and transmuting their very essence into mana energy.
PAIN
Not good!
I tried to move, and fear struck my core as my body was frozen stiff, the ritual will not let me end it!? The black lightning struck downward and sizzled my undead circus into pure mana energy.
The bolts—they felt alive! The black lightning began to alert my Petty Danger Sense, and I soon realized it was the souls that made them sentient. Yet, a single soul remained at the northern pedestal, untouched.
The bolts of lightning began to spiral out, spinning like a pinwheel as it fed off my blood and rid the ritual of its pentagram. With the pentagram dried and gone, the ritual became chaotic. The black bolts of lighting became thicker and ripped through the ground toward me.
I watched fearfully as the bolts siphoned the ground as they came toward me. The tingling pain from my cursed right arm reminded me of what chaotic magic could do to me, and I refused to be cursed again.
I dug deep within and brought forth my Willpower. It coated me in a faint golden aura, and I regained control over my body. But I was too late as the bolts of lightning fed off my Willpower, attempting to drain me dry.
But I grimaced and grunted against the sentient magic. I extended my hand and let loose a stream of Mana Emission into it. The bolts grabbed onto it hungrily, but I fought back, noticing a familiar sensation—the sensation of unsealing an enchanted item.
A beam struggle between the thick bolts and my mixture of golden Willpower and purple Mana Emission shook the chamber.
We were of equal strength, and a singularity began to swell in the middle. The swelling abruptly exploded in a deafening blast, and numbness came over me as everything went black.
I felt weightless within this empty void of darkness. The darkness became a foggy mess, slowly clearing into a thick blanket. I blinked and realized I was staring up into the ghostly sky of Limbo. Faces of the damned flew by in a ghostly swarm. I grimaced and adverted my gaze by sitting up.
The warping black ground beneath me lacked a physical touch, and protruding from the tar-like soil were warping black spikes. But my eyes became glued to the small figure in the far distance. She stood motionless in her burning black silhouette of flames.
LOCNESS
Ire...
Her voice echoed into my head, and my heart ached with a burning desire. A sudden desire to just end it all and be with her in this realm. But then I heard a sniffle... sobbing... she was crying.
LOCNESS
It hurts... save me.
And those words burned away my pathetic desires to end it all and imbued me with a dire motivation to bring her back to life.
Active Acquired:
Skill: Petty Solusion Ritual
I jolted awake into a blurry vision. I blinked several times as I pushed myself up. My head was throbbing, and my neck was stiff. I blinked ahead, activating Petty Night Vision. Two stalactites had fallen, but other than that, the Chamber was fine. If I am not careful, the entire ceiling will cave in on me.
Locness' voice echoed repeatedly in my head, urging me to move. As I lifted the fallen stalactites with Telekinesis, I tapped into the skill Petty Solusion Ritual and understood what was required and what I was missing to perform the ritual. The requirements were vague, and I figured much about this skill would be blocked behind hidden knowledge.
Tapping into the skill, I was correct to draw a pentagram with blood. I reshaped the stalactites into five crude square pedestals needed for the ritual. Centering myself within the Chamber, I cleared the ground of debris and holes and positioned the pedestals around me—north, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. The skill did not specify the type of blood needed, so I continued to use my own blood and Petty Blood Control to create a star-pentagram. Next was to secure paraphernalia within the five triangles of the pentagram.
I emptied my Inventory within my room and went out to find a bison. I found a resting herd east of the Old Watchtower and hunted down five. I Stashed their bodies, feeling their messiness swimming around my Inventory.
Back in my lair, I emptied out my mess of an Inventory within the Arachnid Liar and froze the bison corpses. The skulls of the bison I took and cleaned met the requirements of paraphernalia within the pentagram.
Now, each pedestal, save the top one, required elemental energy. Hmm, this step was quite vague, and the best thing that came to mind was to use Petty Elemental Control to create hovering forms of elements above each pedestal—except air... because it was air.
Doing so met the requirements of elemental energy. The northern pedestal required the soul I wanted to use for the ritual, so I went small, using a petty soul.
Finally, the last thing required was a catalyst, a corpse that could harbor the soul. The skill attempted to give me hints on the type of corpse, but it was reasonably unclear. I shrugged and continued to use my summoned familiar. Ordering the undead circus within the middle of the pentagram, information flooded my mind.
It filled me with insights into the possible outcome of the ritual: a lively hawk with chances of being cursed with vampir or torpor—torpor was the curse plaguing my right arm and right eye. Since this soul was petty, no skills, spells, or any ability had a chance of appearing. It also showed me how it would look, the color of its feathers, its size, and the chances of succeeding. Fascinating.
The chances of succeeding were almost inevitable, being cursed with torpor were minuscule, and being cursed with vampir was inevitable. So, I proceeded and stood at the brim of the blood circle. I raised my left hand, double-crossed my fingers, took a deep breath—here we go—and began.
Hieroglyphs erupted from out the elements and into my undead circus, raising it off the ground as mana energy pulsed around it. The petty soul at the top point began to feed itself into the circus.
I strengthened my control over my elements, and as the ritual continued, the pulsing mana doubled in strength and began to push against the air. A bolting flare of black lightning flared out from the catalyst, flinging a bison skull out from the pentagram.
My muscles tensed as the ability to keep the ritual stable intensified. The flares of black lightning seemed to taunt me, missing me by inches as it struck the ground around me. I eyed the skull and reached out towards it with Telekinesis, lifting it slowly.
Finally, sitting the skull back in place, the flaring bolts of black lightning subsided, and the chaos of the ritual became at ease. And after what seemed like an eternity of constant focus, the ritual was completed.
I took a heavy breath and laid eyes upon a lively, normal-looking hawk. A strong connection between us was felt, similar to the link to my ghosts. Furthermore, I could sense nothing but a never-ending desire to please me and an intense thirst for blood.
Its eyesight was far superior to its undead counterpart, of course. The last bit I could feel from it was a particular type of growth, similar to when obtaining Vampor or Affinity. Sadly, this part of Petty Solusion Ritual was hidden knowledge, and that was all I knew about it.
In my room and outside the River Doors, I allowed my hawk to take off into the skies. Its senses became my own. I could hear every little detail it heard, feel the faintest breeze on its feathers, and see into the vast distance. The nightly clouds were still dense, and the air blew with a chill.
My hawk had its own instincts, so I left it to do as it pleased while keeping an eye on who entered and left the city.
While it did that, I spent the following days returning animals back to life. An arachni for starters, a smaller animal that heavily resembled arachnids. Arachni were small as dogs and covered in sensitive hair protruding out of a dense carapace.
By the following morning, I had forty-two hawks, ten wolves, five panthers, a dozen arachni, and three horses. Throughout the night and into the morning, I could feel Abimelech squirming around within me in anxiety.
A sudden epiphany occurred, and I realized I could speak with him without actually delving mind into my soul chamber.
PAIN
What is wrong with you?
I asked internally.
ABIMELECH
Why is it that I am able to hear your voice?
PAIN
I could feel you were uncomfortable. Something on your mind?
He kept quiet, and I entered my soul chamber and approached him.
PAIN
If you like, I could split your soul into nine ghosts.
Something about mentioning ghosts made him stiffen for a second.
ABIMELECH
I made a vow to my gents,
He muttered.
ABIMELECH
And I failed. Maybe it was meant to be.
His eyes looked up at me,
ABIMELECH
You seem... well. A day into my study, I was sure to have aged ten years.
I was under the impression he could see everything I could. The second I thought of it, another sudden realization revealed itself to me, and I was able to look through Abimelech's eyes.
Everything was pitch black, and he saw nothing but my body that stood before him. I took a good look at myself... I was disgusting; skin blotched with dirt and dried blood, robes, and clothes torn and worn, and my red hair stained and knotted with dirt and blood.
Hmph, I have not showered in days, but what mattered now was that Abimelech was blind to everything around him. This was likely some hidden knowledge of Soul Harvest. However, I could not see through the eyes of Grungir and the others.
Reverting my focus, I asked him,
PAIN
How come your soul can talk and move about?
He adverted his eyes and kept quiet.
PAIN
I tend to hold a grudge, especially against those that try to take my life. Granted, you are the only one who seemed to have a moral reason.
He still kept quiet. What a stubborn gent.
PAIN
So be it.
I mocked him and floated away from him.
ABIMELECH
Emergence...
I heard him mumble, and I turned back.
PAIN
Emergence?
His eyes were still adverted as he responded.
ABIMELECH
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Soul Emergence...
A tear formed and rolled down his cheek. I nearly missed it because it was as bluish as his soul.
ABIMELECH
Upon being sealed by my fellow Clerics, when I died, my soul had nowhere to go.
He closed his eyes for a moment to stop his tears.
ABIMELECH
You see, the Branches of Lek used to form the seal around the Crypt was perfect. Nothing was able to enter, and nothing was able to leave, including my soul. My soul was unable to traverse into purgatory upon my death. I can not recall the number of years that had passed before I obtained Petty Soul Emergence.
He looked at me for a moment,
ABIMELECH
And with it, I regained my consciousness and memories.
I nodded, slightly distracted by why he was sealed by his fellow Clerics. But that was a question for another time as I granted him sight of the soul chamber. His eyes widened, and his head snapped around.
ABIMELECH
What happened? What did you do?
PAIN
Now you can see. This is my soul chamber, where you reside.
He studied Grungir's soul to the right of him. He was still sobbing on all fours, but his cries were mute, for I did not want to hear his voice.
PAIN
Other souls...
Sadness painted his face, and I figured out what he was thinking.
PAIN
Do you believe I am an evil person?
He kept silent, and I did not blame him as I would have kept quiet as well. He finally noticed my soul—the raging twister of blue flames that roared behind me. Realization overtook his face, and his mouth trembled as it searched for words.
ABIMELECH
Wh-Wha-What is that? What in God's name are you?
I hid a smile,
PAIN
I thought you did not seek to question what you already know.
He looked at me blankly. I shrugged back at him and exited my soul chamber.
Abimelech and his untapped knowledge were valuable. Therefore, I was hesitant to ostracize him because I had no idea what might happen to his soul in the future. Would it stay conscious? Would he lose memories? Could he be revived? There were so many things I did not know about Soul Harvest and Solusion that I needed to tread carefully.
*****
I shivered from a sudden cold breeze as I did my best to work within this tight room of the Great Court. I had to help Gallito deal with the town's angst, for he was still new. Chambers had already departed to the Earth Kingdom with Boradashire, leaving Gallito alone. The small and bare room I worked in was frigid, and the side of my head was pulsing from a mild migraine. I shuffled through the papers, cross-referencing names, licenses, and deeds of the parents who lost their children to Ire.
I let out an air of frustration and pushed aside the paper. My eyes caught Bigg's name on a rough sheet of paper. I scanned it and saw that Helga requested the deed of the southern lands be transferred to her name.
LEON
Well, of course..., it would be cruel of me to refuse.
A knock on the door, and I shivered slightly as I chattered,
LEON
Come in.
The door squeaked open, and Krapht, flanked by the two Guardians I gave him to protect him from the violent anger of the parents, strode in.
KRAPHT
Giving out free things?
He said in a joking manner, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain his petty humor.
LEON
Good day, Officer Krapht,
I exhaled and pushed the papers aside as he took a seat in front of me.
LEON
What is on your mind this early morning?
KRAPHT
Well, um, straightly putting it...
He fidgeted slightly as he spoke.
KRAPHT
You're not recompensing the parents... are you?
LEON
And if I am?
I challenged.
KRAPHT
Well, um, that will undermine the guild.
I slid a parchment back in front of me and continued to work.
LEON
How so?
KRAPHT
Um, well, you see, as I've mentioned before, the guild and the city are separate. As the officer of this location, any incidentals should fall on to me.
I figured he was trying to say, you're doing my job, and I want you to stop.
LEON
Rest assured, I am not stepping over the guild. I am simply transferring deeds, carrying out wills, and forming letters for distant relatives.
The paper before me was a letter I had started but failed to complete. It was addressed to a grandmother living in North Star—her grandson was learning under the blacksmith Link.
LEON
Are you so willing to inform a grandmother about the loss of her grandson?
I glanced up at him to see that he was smiling with relief.
KRAPHT
My sincere apologies. We've already dealt with a few parents at the office.
LEON
Dealt with?
KRAPHT
Oh yes, indeed,
He nodded surely.
KRAPHT
We made it clear to them about the dangers Link, Biggs, and, um, West—
LEON
Wedge.
KRAPHT
Ah, yes, Wedge... the dangers of escort quests. They are placing their lives in the hands of complete strangers.
He explained freely.
LEON
And you do not see anything wrong with that?
KRAPHT
Well, strangers can become friends. An adventure by the name of Mokoto, he and his party gave their lives to protect them. Such a selfless act. This is how heroes are formed.
There was no point in arguing with this gent. I glanced down at the letter once more—I had only written two lines.
LEON
About this hero...
I asked, changing the subject, and his face lit up.
KRAPHT
Ah, yes, I was able to send her a Black Hawk. She will be arriving in a few weeks, her words.
LEON
A few weeks? By winter, then?
I pondered, but he shrugged innocently.
KRAPHT
She's... she's a bit stubborn that hero is. A few weeks to her could be anything, to be honest.
He explained uncertainly.
KRAPHT
Her party members are exceptionally friendly in comparison.
LEON
Oh, what was her name again? I don't remember.
KRAPHT
Her name is Eldritch Wingheart, party leader of the Chained Diamonds.
*****
It was a windy start into the evening as my party pushed through the frigid winds towards Gaylord's Spirits and Tonics. The breeze wafted the smell of alcohol and warmth toward us as I approached the doors. I pulled it open and ushered Panuka and Mantis in.
BARTENDER
Order till your hearts are wavering!
—was the first thing to reach my ears, following the buzz of drunk patrons talking and others surprisingly singing familiar winter songs that were popular back in Sante June. Similar to Coroho's Eatery, the bulk of the gents and ladies in here were of higher class, cleaned and well dressed... but they were all drunk and neglected their manners.
I looked around for a quiet place for us to sit as I shivered off the chill. The pub was lit by braziers and torches all around—quite a danger for a pub made out of wood and thatch.
Mantis leaned in, sniffing the air,
MANTIS
Oh, I know that rum, Frozenbite.
HILROY
Frozenbite?
I inquired at the same time another gent, sitting at the bar, uttered the word at the bartender.
BARTENDER
It's from Sante June! They've treated us well, my friend!
He yelled, answering my pending question. Quite unsettling that I had never heard of it before.
MANTIS
You don't know what frozenbite rum is? Not a surprise, coming from a gent who doesn't drink.
HILROY
I drink!
I exclaimed as we sought a table away from the noise.
BARTENDER
Oh yea! We got more coming!
He bellowed joyfully.
HILROY
I bet he can get louder.
I mumbled, taking a glance at his slim frame.
A barlady pointed out a seat for us. Panuka slowly sat down, her gaze staring off across the pub. I followed her gaze to see Lia and his three tables worth of party members. They became the center of attention as they bickered with one another.
PANUKA
I thought they went after Ire?
She whispered softly. I shrugged, and before I could get a word in, a nearby patron leaned in with a grin of missing teeth.
PATRON
Talking about Lia there? Oh, I heard, too.
We eyed him suspiciously—he had a far-off accent that we'd never heard before.
BEGGAR
Sorry about the intrusion, call me Beggar... yes, my real name—to hell with my parents, I'd say, and word has it that Lia and his party turned tail.
He crackled out with a laugh.
MANTIS
Did he say why?
BEGGAR
Oh, he wouldn't shut up about the spires of earth that reached the heavens. Parts of the land and ground had been split as if a giant had struck it. The ground scorched away, leaving barren patches farther than the eye could see... something of the like.
He ended with a giggle.
BEGGAR
The snobs here are loving it.
LIA
The spire was as wide as two cottages!
Lia suddenly bellowed at another gent who had poked fun at his cowardice. I then noticed nearby patrons began to laugh and applaud them. I rolled my eyes and let out a breath of disbelief.
BEGGAR
What I tell ya!
He crackled off before finding another table of adventurers to bother.
I kept my eyes glued on Lia. Beggar was right—the gent Lia was arguing with was with him when I last saw them and was currently mocking Lia's decision to turn back. After listening in, we learned Lia was actually the sensible one because half of his party wanted to keep going.
Now that he had returned, he had been busy recruiting the new adventurers from the Earth Kingdom.
HILROY
Numbers can become a hindrance. He should be careful.
I mumbled as the barlady approached us. And before she could get a word out,
MANTIS
Barrel of Frozenbite rum!
HILROY & PANUKA
Mantis!
He quickly sunk into himself like a little pup.
HILROY
A barrel!? We can't afford that.
The barlady froze, and her eyes shifted back and forth between us.
BARLADY
Um...
MANTIS
But we could, couldn't we? Are we still trying to chase Drake, or are we moving on to the Fire Kingdom?
I adverted my eyes in thought.
PANUKA
If you need more time to decide...
I nodded.
HILROY
Things are going well here in this city so far... give me more time. Sorry guys.
The barlady leaned in nervously,
BARLADY
So, um, the barrel?
HILROY
Three quarts, please.
She nodded and scurried to the back.
HILROY
Sorry, even if we chased after Drake, we might not catch him. And setting off for the port within the Azure Mountains is too dangerous without any supplies.
MANTIS
Those griffins are no joke.
Mantis stated as he raised his legs onto the table.
MANTIS
Traveling through those mountains would give us a run for our coins.
PANUKA
But you two idiots would probably try to fight them.
She countered, knocking his feet off the table as the Barlady returned with our drinks.
LIA
Oi Barlady!
We looked over at Lia, stumbling over to us with a tankard in hand, but he stopped in front of an empty chair. He stared at the chair for a moment, seemingly wondering if he could get around it before looking back at us with a wobble.
LIA
Don't give them a thing! They can't afford it.
He slurred with a laugh, slightly spilling his drink.
BARTENDER
Don't be a downer, my friend!
The bartender chimed in and looked over at us.
BARTENDER
Can't pay for a thing? Have a drink on the house and work it off later!
He bellowed with laughter.
LIA
Careful, you might end up dead like his escorts.
Mantis grimaced, and I quickly asked the barlady,
HILROY
How much is it actually?
BARLADY
Forty-seven puries a quart.
My eyes widened while Mantis cringed. Panuka solemnly paid the lady with her eyes glued on Mantis.
MANTIS
Good thing we didn't get the barrel.
He mumbled.
BARLADY
Hmph. Good thing. Could've been stuck here with me.
She walked off, and I glanced at Lia, who wobbled back to his table, cheering about something incoherent before hollering in glee.
LIA
Drinks on me!
BARTENDER
No! No drinks on that gent!
He exploded, voice booming much louder than ever.
BARTENDER
Pay up first! Not having that malarkey pulled on me again!
Lia looked back at him with disgust,
LIA
Fine, no drinks then.
He shook his head as if to ward off a bug as I took a sip out of my pitcher of frozenbite.
LIA
We have to sober up anyway! Right gents!
He let out a crude laugh, and they cheered in unison. We continued to watch him, occasionally exhaling as the rum warmed our bodies but chilled our tongues and throats.
LIA
Drago, Hilroy, nor the proud bastard Mokoto could face that brood Ire. Seven hundred million puries, gents! Let us live like the rich ones!
I took another sip and noticed a realization forming before me. I started to understand what Drago was talking about. If they all died to this one brood, their death, as cruel as it might be, will justify our past actions and exonerate us.
MANTIS
What's with that look?
Mantis asked, and I caught myself grinning.
HILROY
Oh, nothing.
I muttered and downed my glass of frostbite rum, numbing my tongue. My body warmed as I came to understand that the deaths of Lia and his party would open up the quest board for my party and me.
PANUKA
You okay?
She asked with a wry smile. I smiled back and pulled her close to me.
HILROY
I'm feeling better than ever.
Panuka snuggled into my arms, and Mantis let out a belch and a laugh. The thought of Lia and his party being annihilated didn't bother me in the slightest. As long as I had Panuka and Mantis at my side, I was happy.